Texting from a B-52?

By Jennifer Hogan

Boeing has designed this text-messaging capability for the B-52 to allow communication via satellites when line-of-site radio communication is not possible.

For most people who exchange brief text messages on their phones and other portable devices, a common communication might be “whats 4 dinner?” or “luv u.” But U.S. Air Force Lt. Steve Adelmund, a flight engineer at Barksdale Air Force Base, La., texted a very different message when an engine on the B-52 bomber he was flying in was shut down unexpectedly.

Adelmund and fellow crew members, part of the 49th Test Squadron, were conducting a test flight last September with Boeing’s new Evolutionary Data Link (EDL). The EDL is a satellite-enabled texting capability that is used when line-of-sight radio communication is unavailable, which often happens on long missions over the Atlantic Ocean. After successfully testing EDL over a remote area in Montana, the generator on the B-52’s number-five engine failed.

"We had just finished final test points and the overheat light came on for generator number five," said Maj. Steve Waldon, the aircraft’s commander. "We tried decoupling the generator from the engine and we weren’t able to verify that it was successful. Our tech order states we must shut down the engine if decoupling is not verified to keep the generator from catching fire."


The engine, which controls all of the hydraulics on the right side of the aircraft, was shut down, leaving the crew with only half of its braking capability and limited steering ability.

“Because the crew was able to send us a text message, we pre-coordinated the emergency landing and were ready for them when they arrived.”
The crew was three-and-a-half hours from its home base and needed to notify its command of the need for an emergency landing. The plane was out of radio range, so the only way to communicate was by text-messaging on the EDL laptop.

The U.S. Air Force plans to buy enough laptop kits to give the entire active B-52 fleet this capability.

"Because the crew was able to send us a text message, we pre-coordinated the emergency landing and were ready for them when they arrived," said Rick Westerfield, a Boeing field service representative stationed at Barksdale.

While a generator failure is not uncommon, it requires that the plane land on a dry runway to maximize the braking performance of the wheels that still have hydraulic braking available.

"To fly back to line-of-sight and then begin communications would have really lengthened our time in the air by an hour before the base could prepare for our landing," said Waldon. "If the runway had been wet, then we would have been diverted to another base. Knowing ahead of time we were not going to be diverted helped us to manage our fuel and have a better game plan."


The crew landed the B-52H safely at Barksdale, experiencing firsthand why warfighters need technology like EDL.

The Air Force currently has 19 EDL kits, which are shared among its 76 B-52s. The Air Force plans to buy enough additional kits from Boeing to equip the entire fleet by the second quarter of 2012.

"Having more kits will allow all B-52 crews to have this capability," said Westerfield. "It will also decrease the workload of maintainers and increase the durability of the equipment because the hardware will no longer be moved from aircraft to aircraft."

F-15 Crash timeline video

Amarillo built Ospreys rescue downed F-15 pilot and WSO

- A U.S. Air Force fighter jet crashed in Libya after experiencing an equipment malfunction, but both crew members ejected safely and are now out of Libya and in U.S. hands, the U.S. military and a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday.

A pilot and weapons officer aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle had flown from Aviano Air Base in Italy to Libya when the fighter experienced problems, the U.S. military command for Africa said in a statement. Both pilots ejected, the statement said.


The pilot and weapons officer suffered minor injuries but landed safely in two different places on Libyan soil, the military said.

The U.S. military dispatched a pair of Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, about 100 miles off the coast of Libya, to pick up the pilot. He was then flown to the vessel, which has extensive medical facilities, military officials said.

The MV-22 Osprey Tiltrotor aircraft is assembled at the Textron-Bell-Boeing plant in Amarillo.

Marines rescued one using an M -22 Osprey — the first time the massive tilt-rotor craft has been used in a combat rescue..

The Osprey, which costs $100 million a copy, has long been the target of budget cutters in Washington, but has survived due to a large base of support from lawmakers representing states where its components are built.

Libyan rebels recovered the second crew member and "took good care of him" until coalition forces were able to reach him, a senior defense official said.

UPDATE: The pilot of a downed Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet in Libya was reportedly rescued by Marines in an MV-22 Osprey, media reports said.

The jet crashed late Monday after two crew members safely ejected, U.S. Africa Command said in a statement. The aircraft, based out of RAF Lakenheath, England, was flying out of Aviano Air Base, Italy, in support of a no-fly zone approved by the U.N. Marine spokesmen could not immediately be reached for comment, but the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., has been floating off the coast of Libya to provide support as needed in the Libyan mission, known as Operation Odyssey Dawn. AV-8B Harriers with the MEU participated in air strikes there over the weekend.

The Associated Press, citing an unnamed defense official, said one crew member was rescued by the Marines, while the other was taken in by rebel fighters in Libya. The Belfast Telegraph, a newspaper in the United Kingdom with a journalist in Libya, reported that the pilot was rescued by Marines and a weapons officer was taken in by rebels.

It was not clear who with the MEU may have participated in a rescue mission. The Corps sent infantrymen with Lejeune’s 1st Battalion, 2nd Marines, to reinforce the unit after it became clear that it could be used in Libya. Most of the Marines with the MEU’s original ground combat unit — Battalion Task Force 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Lejeune — landed in Afghanistan in January to support combat operations in Helmand province, and are still there.

Ospreys with the MEU operate from ships with the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group and are from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 266 (reinforced), out of Marine Corps Air Station New River, N.C.

F-15 crash site video ..

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F-15 Strike Eagle Crashes in Libya- Crew Safe

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Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- A U.S. Air Force fighter jet crashed in Libya after experiencing an equipment malfunction, but both crew members ejected safely and are now out of Libya and in U.S. hands, the U.S. military and a senior U.S. defense official said Tuesday.

A pilot and weapons officer aboard an F-15E Strike Eagle had flown from Aviano Air Base in Italy to Libya when the fighter experienced problems, the U.S. military command for Africa said in a statement. Both pilots ejected, the statement said.

The pilot and weapons officer suffered minor injuries but landed safely in Libya, the military said.

A U.S. military plane picked up the pilot, a senior defense official said. Libyan rebels recovered the second crew member and "took good care of him" until coalition forces "could come get him," the official said.
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Both crew members are out of Libya, the official said.
The jet was based out of the Royal Air Force base at Lakenheath, England. It flew to Libya as part of a coalition attack on Libyan air defense targets meant to protect civilians in that country. The action was authorized by the United Nations Security Council.

The crash was "not due to enemy or hostile actions," said Kenneth Fidler, a spokesman for U.S. Africa Command.